Ep. 25: Improve Performance with Advanced Training Principles
Ep. 25: Improve Performance with Advanced Training Principles
In episode twenty-five, Keenan shares some of what he's been studying while preparing for the CSCS (Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist) exam, and the two break down how those concepts actually apply to everyday training. The episode covers the three planes of motion and why most programs neglect two of them, how to overload a lift's eccentric (lowering) phase for extra muscle stimulus, why testing and tracking your numbers matters even if you're not an athlete, and smarter ways to structure supersets. They also settle a long-running gym debate about where you should pulse on a hip thrust.
TAKEAWAYS
1. Train all three planes of motion, not just forward and back. The sagittal plane (squats, lunges, most everyday movement) dominates most programs. The frontal plane (lateral lunges, jumping jacks) and transverse plane (rotational movements, flys) get neglected, even though they matter just as much for injury prevention.
2. Test and track your numbers, even if you're not an athlete. For strength, retest every 8-12 weeks with a 3-5 rep max rather than guessing, and actually log your numbers week to week. Most people can't accurately recall what they lifted last time, which makes real progress hard to see.
3. Overload the eccentric (lowering) phase of a lift for extra stimulus. You're typically up to 50% stronger lowering a weight than lifting it, so using the same load for both phases leaves muscle-building potential on the table. Try lowering with one limb on a machine (two legs up, one leg down on a leg extension or hamstring curl), or use a heavier eccentric-only approach on an exercise you already know well.
4. Agonist-antagonist supersets are one of the most time-efficient ways to train. Pairing opposing muscle groups — biceps with triceps, a bench press with a pull-up — lets one muscle rest while the other works, cutting down wasted rest time without sacrificing quality. Push-pull pairings and upper-lower pairings work on the same principle for full-body workouts.
Pro Tip: If you're pulsing on a hip thrust, pulse at the bottom of a genuinely hard set, not the top. If you can still get all the way to a full contraction at the top for a pulse, you likely haven't worked hard enough on that set. True partial reps happen when you can no longer complete a full rep — that's when short pulses near the bottom squeeze out additional stimulus.
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